A Great Mixer

Yesterday was the best DFNYC event ever for me. Too bad noone was dancing. Loud, fast, simple music. Large crowd. That is my idea of a cocktail. But I did dance on my own before leaving. Lewis: "We should make you the official DFNYC dancer." Is that a mascot?

Mark Green shows up just like that. "Mr. Green, Paramendra Bhagat, new in town." "Mark Green, old in town." And one member - Marion Ms. "Both Lewis and I were born in Manhattan" - works at Kofi Annan's office, and got to meet Richard Gere when he dropped by. (When people ask me what religion I am, I am prone to say, "I am a Buddhist, like Richard Gere." A-n-y association is good.) And a guy in advertising who had a copy of the New York Times, the Arts section, for the 25th! And Dan Jacoby finally learns my name. And Ms. Sunshine birthday girl Heather Woodfield claims her cheerfulness is just a "facade." What a twist. And queen Tracey Denton is all humble about DFNYC. Oh, we are just a small group, just getting by. And Leila shows up with Norman Siegel stickers. And I tell her about a movie I once saw about these Japanese soldiers on little islands out there in the Pacific in the middle of nowhere. It is ten years after World War II and they are still fighting the war because noone told them the war is over. And a guy who worked on this for months because his girlfriend temporarily does not have health insurace: http://www.truthonbloomberg.org. And Andrew and Martha, veterans of the Cesnik machine, all pumped up. And an Austrian journalist who recently covered Katrina: she was associated with the Green Party in her country, but now is a US correspondent for a major newspaper in Austria. Two people running for Congress, one of whom can't tell Austria from Australia: "I guess I will just say Europe somewhere." One of them from Eery, PA. "I've been there!" And Mason from Boston from Cote D' Vere (sp?) who is outraged Goldman Sachs just got $1.6 bilion from the city for moving from one place in the city to another. "I need to tell Tracey about this." And Renna is all worked up about world poverty. "There is a Katrina a day out there."

I shoulda brought my camera along.

First to get there, last to leave.
- PKB.

Bloomberg Is No Democrat --- pass it on
http://democracyforum.blogspot.com/2005/09/bloomberg-is-no-democrat.html

From: "Larry P, member, Truth on Bloomberg Group"
To: "Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: Re: was great meeting you at the mixer/TruthOnBloomberg
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 22:15:18 -0400

Hello

Thanks for the link to my site.

I am a professional advertiser, however I'm not a professional campaigner, fundraiser or organizer. Any help will be welcomed.

I really started this site as a push to build momentum. It's a push to remind Democrats of who they really are. It's a push to get people passionate.

While TruthOnBloomberg goes against the mayor, we'll soon have a new site that will display an issue-by-issue reason to vote FOR Ferrer.

When asked "Why should I vote for Ferrer?" these are big things to mention:

1. Ferrer will give universal healthcare to all NYC children.
2. Ferrer will actively get funding for the schools, something Bloomberg has not done.
3. Ferrer will require that developers who get tax breaks for housing MUST build units not only for low earners, but for MIDDLE earners.
4. Ferrer will install a high-level emergency management authority, instead of Bloomberg's NYPD-centric authority.

Talk to you soon,

Larry

Bloomberg Is No Democrat

Bloomberg has come out swinging against the Roberts nomination for the Supreme Court. That is a cynical attempt to play the NYC sentiments. Considering he has paid more money to George W. than any other individual in the solar system, and considering George W. has a clear track record of listening to people who bribe him, I bet Bloomberg could arrange for a breakfast, lunch and dinner with W. all on the same day. Well, why does he not do that? And tell the president, "Remember when I gave you money, lots of money? Payback time. Now listen to me. Take Roberts out of this nomination process. Please."

But Bloomberg will not do that. You know why? Because he really does not oppose the Roberts nomination. He does not care one way or another. He is opposing the nomination in an attempt to play to the gallery. He is being theatrical. This man belongs on Broadway, not at City Hall.

On all the social issues, he sings the right tunes. If he has such fierce disagreements with the Republican party, why did he switch in the first place? If he went in to change it from within, he has no track record of making any attempts.

Bless his soul he spends his own hard-earned money on his lavish campaigns. But he has not made any efforts at campaign finance reform. So his spending his own money is not to say he wants to be a mayor who is not beholden to the special interests. Rather it is like saying, so you are not rich like me, tough! That attitude should generate a fundamental disconnect between this man and the people of New York City. And what's up with riding the subway? Bloomberg, a man of the people? Refer to the line above about Broadway.

Rudy Guliani rode the national Clinton economic boom of the 1990s, and took credit all the way to the bank. Good thing that boom has not ended yet. It has slowed down, but it has not entirely gone down. But give that time, George W. and his cronies are at it back there in DC.

Bloomberg can't see straight and does not have his priorities right. This man wants to wear an expensive stadium on his shirt sleeve. Has he heard of public schools? Has he heard of health care for those working poor who don't have it? If he can pay for his own campaign, and if he can pay George W., what stops him from paying for his own stadium?

Bloomberg's theatrics on the social issues, mispriorities on the financial issues and the early treason of switching parties should ring alarm bells. If he were to now go back and run his company like he has been running the city, I bet his Board would vote him out. It's been that bad. If it were not for the checks and balances of the City Council, this man would have run the city into the ground by now.

So why did he win in the first place? Democratic disunity. That's why. The party might be nationally out of power, but that does not mean the local party has to continue to be in disarray.

Party unity is the need of the hour. A victory in this race will ignite a national Democratic resurgence, so we can take back the Congress in 2006, and the White House in 2008.

Bloomberg has been cynically trying to hang Amadou Diallo around Fernando Ferrer's neck. This is beyond cynical. This is shameless. I checked up on that. Ferrer is on record describing it as a crime. But don't you black folks in Harlem get holy on me on this one. Like my African friends at college used to say, "Those African Americans, man, they are not Africans, they are Americans!" Recent Hispanic immigrants might have more in common with the African Diallo than black folks who have been here for centuries.

Before Bloomberg can hang Diallo around Ferrer's neck, he himself needs to state where he stands on the issue. This is one of those problems he can't throw money on and wish away. This man Bloomberg does not feel your pain.

As a South Asian in America, I am all too aware of the rich ethnic tapestries. To a white or a black person, brown is brown all the way. But to the brown folks, there are endless shades of brown. And there are many animosities and hostilities among the brown folks.

But you have to look at the big picture. You have to look at the big money and the big power. And at that level, the African Americans and the Hispanics in this city need to be rallying behind Ferrer, one voice. Powerlessness leads to infighting, true. But that infighting has to be brought to an end to attain genuine power. Al Sharpton, homework time. Jesse Jackson, movement time, rainbow coalition time. Roll the national ball right here in New York City.

One Democrat - Bloomberg - betrayed the party back in 2001: he left. But you don't have to follow suit and bring shame to your name. Stay back and vote Democratic. Don't get deceived two times in a row. If the Democrats can only work the unity theme, victory is guaranteed. The rich are with the Republicans, and there just are not quite many of them. We got the numbers. The wisdom is, if you want to live like the Republicans, vote Democratic. You don't become rich by voting for a rich man. Rid the illusion.

Rise up, stand up. Lead the national revival. We are a progressive city for people of all colors: white, black, brown, red, yellow, you name it. The nation needs our leadership. Showtime.